Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow

We interrupt this week of fibery goodness to bring to your attention a good book for kids ages 9-12.  The book is released on Tuesday and your local booksellers should carry it.

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow. If you have a middle grader who likes books, this one is a solid choice.

The book starts out very Indiana Jones.  No apologies, James Rollins is aiming to please here.  From there you get time travel, Mayans, dinosaurs, Romans, Neanderthals, and Native Americans, all interacting in the same place.  You know how some kids like dinosaurs and some kids like gladiators?  Some kids like magic and some kids like science?  Well this book truly delivers it all.

Jake and his sister Kady become orphans when their archaeologist parents are killed by Mayan treasure hunters.  While visiting the museum exhibit of their parents finds, they discover a puzzle that pulls them through time.

This book completely captivated my 10 year old son.  I began reading the book aloud to him, but when I stopped too soon, he would pick the book up himself.  This last statement needs a qualifier.  My son had never before picked up a chapter book to read on his own. Never.  Knowing  a book had so engaged him that I could count on finding him curled up in a chair reading, made my heart soar.

Back to the book.  I did not like the way Kady was portrayed.  I imagine few mothers will, or at least I HOPE  few mothers will.  Yes, she has her helpful moments, but she is the stereotypical teenage girl.  The author’s descriptions of her behaviors, made me cringe. 

My son is a scientist at the core and enjoyed the melding of alchemy and “sy-enz”.  He also likes the endless possibilities that come with magic.  The blending of the fictional alchemy and the real science produces magic.

Skull King's Shadow is broken up into Parts that are further broken up into Chapters.  After we had finished Part One, my son exclaimed, “That is cool!  This book is SO cool!”  In addition to the good story there will be good pictures.  The ARC (Advance Readers Copy) did not have many pictures, but indicated lots of places where the pictures will be.  Also, in the afterward, the author lets us know there is a hidden language encrypted within the book.  YES!

While we have an ARC copy of the book on the shelf, I plan to give it away to the first boy who expresses interest. (let me know if you want it) I will be purchasing the finished book once it is released.  Youngest Son and I are looking forward to seeing all of the drawings and reading the included first chapter of book 2.  I am envisioning him reading the book himself, out in the sunshine, next to the cat.

High literature?  No.  A really, really good book for tweens?  YES!

 

Comments

[kate]

I was going to say yes and jump up and down, but we're across the border and mail isn't cheap. So keep it for a boy closer to home ... we can wait for it to come out. Not like my son doesn't have two bookshelves full of books to chose from when he doesn't find one at the library.